From The Associated Press, via International Herald Tribune:
Southeast Asian countries fear that dozens of free-trade pacts being pursued by Asian giants, led by China, could overshadow their regional bloc and draw away economic benefits, according to a report seen Saturday.
Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN have said they were considering whether to temporarily defer new free-trade talks to allow them to focus on six ongoing deal negotiations ” including ones with China, Japan, South Korea and India.
ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong, in a confidential report to the 10-country bloc’s economic ministers, raised more concerns, such as the possibility that free-trade accords being pursued by Asian economic powerhouses led by China could overshadow ASEAN. [Full Text]
